How Chiropractic Care Can Help Relieve “Forward Head Posture”

If you spend a lot of time at the computer or looking down at your smartphone, you may be dealing with "forward head posture." Fortunately, this condition can be corrected with the right chiropractic care which often includes therapeutic exercises and stretches. What Is Forward Head Posture? Forward head posture refers to when our head is not positioned properly over the body and is too far forward. This is typically caused by too much screen time in today’s computerized world although spending too much time at a desk or writing by hand, knitting or sewing could also cause an issue over time. Our head should be balanced on the top of our neck. This is often described as how a golf ball sits on top of a tee. The ears should be in line with the shoulders, not in front. The neck has a natural "C" curve when viewed from the side when the head is in the proper position. When the head is too far forward, that natural "C" curve can be reduced or lost increasing the tension on the structures of the neck and upper back. This can cause the upper back to become excessively curved in it's natural reversed "C" shape resulting in a condition called "kyphosis." When forward head posture becomes the norm for your body, it can lead to chronic neck pain, headaches, and spinal disc problems. The Solution for Forward Head PostureFortunately, chiropractic care can significantly help. Additionally, many chiropractors not only utilize chiropractic-specific spinal adjustments to help correct these postural abnormalities, but additionally employ the use of in-office and/or at home therapeutic exercise regimen. If you are suffering from headaches, neck pain, or shoulder pain or discomfort, contact us today for a no-obligation evaluation.

Kids Aren’t the Only Ones Who Need Less Screen Time

A new doctor-authored resource for parents has some surprising news: Parents should limit their own screen time as well as their kids'. Here's why: Kids often mirror their parents' words and actions. According to Dr. Jenny Radesky, a co-writer of the resource in JAMA Pediatrics, this includes how parents interact with their smartphones – and how often. Dr. Radesky's research on the subject has revealed that parents preoccupied with their phones typically engage in less one-on-one interactions with their children, have more parent-child conflicts, and run into more behavioral issues with their kids. She also cites previous studies on TV-watching and parenting with similar results – parents who watched more television had kids who watched more television. Luckily, the parental resource Radesky co-authored with Dr. Megan Moreno has some suggestions for limiting your screen time and strengthening your family relationships. For instance, they recommend stepping back from your phone in instances where you would usually turn to it for stress-relief, distraction, or to avoid conflict. Instead, try something else, like breathing deeply. Engage with those around you and give them your full attention. The doctors promote establishing specific times when the whole family can unplug and do a single activity together. They also advise avoiding behaviors you wouldn’t want your kids to learn, like looking at your phone while driving your car, or ignoring others while using your phone. In short, if you want your kids to learn good phone etiquette and safety, model it for them.

Over One-Quarter of the Entire World’s Population Doesn’t Get Enough Exercise

About 1.4 billion people around the globe – about one-quarter of all the adults on earth – aren't getting enough physical activity in their day-to-day lives. According to a study from the World Health Organization, people who don't exercise enough daily are at higher risk for cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, to start. To keep healthy, you need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous, strenuous activity every week. According to the 2016 study, only one-third of women and one-fourth of men were not getting the recommended amounts. The countries with the highest rates of inactivity were mostly Middle Eastern, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, as well as American Samoa. Over 50% of adults in these areas were not getting enough physical activity. Meanwhile, 40% of all U.S. adults, 14% of Chinese adults, and 36% of British adults were not active enough. In addition to the high rates of inactivity, the study found that these rates are staying stagnant despite growing research that proves how vital exercise is to health. In fact, inactivity is twice as high in richer countries versus poorer ones, and even increased during the years 2001-2016 by 5%. One big reason may be because sedentary occupations are becoming the norm in richer countries, while poorer countries have more active occupations.